Chapter 2: INK01: Umbrella in the Rain

Iryo-nin Kasa (医療忍傘)

Chapter One: Umbrella in the Rain

To say my parents were upset at my first words was an understatement. Most kids start with mama or papa, but I started with shit. And boy was that word perfect for my predicament. Newly born to the dangerous world of ninjas, I have a scant clue where I am, but no clue when here is. The only upside I had, my father was a ninja. So, the chances of being able to use chakra were in my favor.

I can't say I know much about either of my parents aside from their odd coloring. Although, Somoku, Kaa-san, seems to be very good at calligraphy. The times when I'm awake and not eating or getting cleaned she would have her scrolls and brushes out. Let's be realistic, I'm a grown woman in the body of a toddler, I've potty train myself before I could walk. I could go without having someone fuss over me constantly. It was bad enough I took away their expectations of their baby's first words. She deserves some break time.

"Do you want to try?" asked Somoku with a soft smile.

I returned with a gummy smile, with two teeth on top and one tooth on the bottom. Finally, something to do!

Somoku picked me up from my chair and sat me on her lap. She took the thinnest brush from her collection and held it against my tiny hand. I did my best to concentrate as she guided the brush and my hand over the scroll. For the most part, I could understand what she said, when she talked, but whether or not I could respond with the same proficiency is another matter.

"That's a good girl," murmured Kaa-san as she made each stroke with hypnotizing grace. "Do you know what word this is?"

I stared at the character and shook my head. It looked like someone bent the handles of a pogo stick with tire marks underneath the handles. "What?" I asked with my one-word vocabulary.

"That's Kasa," answered Somoku.

"Me!" I blurted out and stared at the character again with a grin. She was teaching me how to write my name.

"Yes, that's your name," she cooed. "Do you want to know why it looks like that?"

I nodded. One thing I loved about Somoku was her kanji lessons. While she's not my mother, I could still love her. It also helps that Kaa-san sound nothing like mommy, ma or mom. I could easy just treat that term as name rather than a title, same goes for Tou-san I suppose.

She took my hand again and guided the brush to the inkwell before gliding it across the scroll again. "Do you know what Kasa means?" asked Kaa-san.

I shook my head. How could I? With Japanese there were so many words that sounded similar that it could have multiple meanings. Kami could mean god, hair or even paper. Of course, it also made it easier to make bad puns.

"It means umbrella," answered the woman.

I scrunched up my nose. Seriously? Is this their sense of humor? They have a child in the village of rain, and named her umbrella… What the hell? I suppose it was better than getting named after food. She guided my hand through three strokes, two up top and one straight down the middle. It looked like an arrow.

"Now, this is an umbrella," she continued and moved beneath the arrow's head. "Remember what the character for person looks like?"

I nodded. Hito, two strokes attached to one another. Somoku's previous lesson taught me it was written that way because it looks like a person standing in a wide stance. It's kind of cute that each kanji could be explained like a pictogram.

"Now here, underneath the umbrella, you have four people hiding from the rain," she murmured softly as she drew two characters on each side. "But you don't want them to get wet," she dragged the brush across the line beneath the characters of hito. "So you have a floor for them to stand on while they wait for the rain to stop."

"Mmm." I nodded as she finished.

"Do you know why your name is Kasa?" asked Somoku.

I wanted to answer because you and your husband have a poor sense of humor? But instead I pointed to the window. "Rain lots?"

Somoku laughed at my answer. "Yes, it rains a lot here, but that's not why."

I tilted my head back, looking up at her in question. "Why?"

"Do you know what umbrellas do?" asked Somoku.

Keep you dry? What's the word for dry anyway? "Not wet?"

She patted my head. "Yes, it keeps you dry, but do you see the people here?" She pointed to the characters of hito in the character. "Did you notice, that this umbrella doesn't only have one person?"

Okay?

Somoku must've noticed the baffled look on my face when she held me closer. "Umbrellas are meant to protect people, to shield them from the cold and harsh world."

Oh…

"Do you know why the umbrella is so big here? And why the people are so close together?" Somoku continued as she pointed at each part of the character.

Because it looks better aesthetically? I shook my head.

"It's big so you can protect more people," murmured Kaa-san. I glanced at her in surprise. "And when you protect people, they'll grow close to you and in turn support you. Do you understand?"

I nodded slowly.

"All right! Let's move onto the next character then!" chirped Somoku as she unraveled the scroll some more and smoothed it out on the table.

It was strange that Kaa-san gave me such a deep lesson. There was no reason for her to do something like that especially for a two-year-old that would probably forget half the things she said before even turning four.

What I didn't know at the time was that Ame was in the midst of a civil war. Somoku rarely took me out of the house if she could help it due to this, but the rare few times she did, I noticed the despair that permeated through the village and its people. I don't know how much money food normally cost, but at the amount of zeros I see, the war was hitting Ame hard. The towering buildings and never-ending rain didn't help the despondent mood either.

As time grew on, I saw less and less of Tou-san. Kaa-san explained that he was at the hospital helping the sick and injured. I'm guessing he's a medic, an iryo-nin. At least, I know he's not out fighting against rebels.

I wish I had more information on what was going on. I can't tell whether the Second Shinobi war just ended or if we were well on our way into the Third Shinobi war. Then there was also the matter of the Ame Orphans. Were they a part of the rebel group yet? Or are they still training under Jiraiya? I shudder at the thought of Tesuri facing them. They would utterly annihilate him before he could move.

By the time my third birthday came, I grasped onto enough of the language to hold a childish conversation and basic writing. It'll take a few more years before I could read anything longer than a children's book and let me tell you, that is torture. As a fanatic, reading is the best pleasure I got from life, aside from gorging myself with delicious food like the glutton I am.

"Kasa, come here. I'm going to teach you a game," said Somoku.

"Game?" I perked up at the word and stumbled my way to her. "What game? I wanna play a game! GAME!" I can't help but cheer.

The gamer in me was dying from boredom, by this point I would've been happy to play monopoly or scrabble by my lonesome if I could. There was nothing to do in Ame. The village was so poor that toys were a luxury and children were often kept indoors to avoid catching a cold in the rain. Not that Kaa-san would've let me out if there were kids around, but my point, there was nothing to do here. I mean nothing. Seriously, I've resorted to counting the threads on the tatami mats, I would kill for some minesweeper or solitaire.

She chuckled at my enthusiasm and patted the seat next to her for me to sit down. "Now, now. Calm yourself, you're not going to be good at this game if you're this excited."

Not going to be good? Is that a challenge? I plopped down next to her unceremoniously. "What game are we playing Kaa-san?" I asked.

"It's a very simple game," explained Somoku as she pulled out two feathers.

"Huh?" I responded dumbly. What game can you play with feathers?

As if reading my thoughts, she placed a feather on each of her hands and showed me. One hand remained facing up with the feather and the other turned facing down. However, the feather on the one facing down didn't fall and the one facing up was steadily hovering above her hand. My eyes widened. This was a chakra exercise. She was going to teach me how to use chakra!

"How are you doing that?" I gapped in awe as I peeked under her hand to see if it was sticking to her hand or if she was pinching it between her fingers.

"Chakra," answered Somoku with a grin. "You can do it too with a little practice."

"Yeah! How do I do that? I wanna do that!" I tugged at her arm excitedly.

This was better than playing a game! Somoku chuckled before flipping her hand back and releasing whatever chakra that kept the feathers sticking and repelling to and from her. As always, her lessons were fun and informative with a little backstory to each thing she taught. If I had her for a professor in college, I wouldn't have fallen asleep so often in class.

"Did you find it yet?" she mused.

I scrunched up my eyes in concentration before slumping my shoulders in defeat. "I can't find it." Just what am I supposed to find? I know chakra is an energy that flows within the body, but what the heck is that supposed to be like? Maybe I'm not meant for this? "I'm not good at this!" I huffed in annoyance.

"Don't give up," soothed Kaa-san as she placed a hand on my shoulder.

"But I can't even feel it." I complained and glanced up to her with a pout.

"Relax, don't rush. It'll come to you. Just look for your center, the light and warmth will follow," she answered.

Grumbling, I closed my eyes against to concentrate. Center, center, how the hell am I supposed to find my center?

"Hold out your hands."

"Huh?" I opened my eyes in surprise and glanced towards Kaa-san.

"Keep your eyes closed. Trust me and hold out your hands," she advised.

Puzzled, but I did what she said without question. I closed my eyes and held my hands out in front of me. I felt Somoku grasping my hands into hers.

"Kaa-san?" I asked in confusion before I saw a spark. I jolted in surprise, but dare not to open my eyes less I lose that spark. "Is that?"

"You found it?" asked Somoku cheerily as I grasped onto her hand and the warmth slowly moved from the tips of my fingers and onto my palm.

"It's… so warm…" I sighed happily as I held onto her hand

"Open your eyes," whispered Kaa-san.

I did as she told and glanced at her. I blinked in surprise when I noticed her hands glowing in a barely noticeable serene blue light. "Your hands weren't glowing before when you were touching the feathers."

"That's because you didn't know how to sense chakra before," explained Kaa-san as she gently pulled away. "Now that you know how it feels, you know where to look for it."

"It's still warm!" I smiled brightly as I stared down at my hands. They didn't glow as much as hers, but a faint light could still be seen lingering on my hands. I held my hand to my chest, basking in the safe and comforting feeling it gave off.

It took weeks for me to get the hang of using chakra to stick feathers to my hands and a full month before I could repel it. Of course, knowing how to use both was not enough. Somoku kept me busy with these exercises until I could change directions without a thought while singing or carrying on a conversation. Even though it was hard, it never felt like a chore.

Actually, it was a ton of fun, Kaa-san made sure something new occupied me whenever it looked like I was getting bored. From chakra control to singing and dancing, she taught me how to breathe, how to move and most important, how to dodge. There was no doubt Somoku was a ninja before having me. Her movements were limber and light. She wasted no energy from one movement to the next.

The calligraphy and kanji lessons hadn't stopped either. Though, it might be because my horrible handwriting. While her words always looked like masterpieces, mine always looked like deformed chicken scratch. Hell, my handwriting in the previous life wasn't all that much better. More than half the time people made jokes about how I should be a doctor since no one could make out what the heck I wrote.

On the bright side that also meant I could read almost any form of bad handwriting. It made reading Tou-san's medical notes all that much easier… after I figured out what sort of short hand he was using. Had anyone asked me before then if I would ever be interested in the field of medicine, I would've answered with a firm "hellz no!" with emphasis on the z.

I'll be honest; I'm not the sharpest crayon in the box. Math and science were the bane of my existence. I'm not kidding, I could do basic arithmetic and algebra no problem, but beyond that I'm hopeless. The only reason I bothered putting myself through pre-cal four times, despite failing three times prior was that it was a core requirement for graduation. As for science, the only branch I was decent in was in biology and only because it didn't have math.

Now, where was I again? Oh right! The field of medicine. Yep, definitely not high on my priority list considering the amount of study and extensive knowledge needed in biochemistry. Memorizing a shit ton of scientific names for all known form of medications, the chemical breakdown and all its adverse affects alone and in conjunction with when should any of them be applied. Oh and don't forget the side affects and what other medication can be used to reverse the effects, but then those have a ton of side effects too. It sure sounds like a blast! Gee golly, I can't wait!

Can you hear the enthusiasm dripping from my words?

Not that medicine here was much different. There were still a ton of herbs and natural remedies in use, along with complicated surgeries and various treatments for diseases and poisons. None of which I'm particularly interested in. No—what I'm interested in were the near mystical healing jutsus used on the field. The magical cure all for all physical injuries, not that that's what it was. I'm sure there are more involved aside from a glowy hand and an instant heal, but as a big fan of RPGs in general. Being a iryo-nin here was equivalent of being a cleric or a freaking white mage! How awesome is that?

To quote all gamers, "You do not fuck with the white mage!"

The days Tesuri was home were days Somoku let up on our daily routines. On those days, the three of us would sit together and Tou-san would update Somoku on the state of the current affairs. Tales of gore and bloodshed normally should not be told to children, less they were looking to traumatize them for life.

However, don't forget this is the world of ninjas. Desensitizing children had to start from somewhere. Not… that I need much desensitizing. Gore and violence hardly bothered me, I'd freak out if I had to kill someone, but dealing with someone bleeding to death or stabbing someone in self-defense, I could do with no problem. I'm a violent person by nature and no, before anyone say it's because all the violent video games I play or whatever, violent people are attracted to violent things.

Someone who was not predetermined with such a trait, I would have a hard time finding them being violent because of a game. Hinata is an example where even though she was trained to fight and possibly kill, she's still the nicest person around. I doubt she'd ever lash out without good reason. So no, that's my stand on violent games… that and they're awesome! Come on, admit it, everyone loves a good explosion.

Of course, violent stories weren't the only things I learned from him when he was home. Tesuri was an awesome cook, better than Somoku. He could skin and fillet a fish with a cleaver. A cleaver! That thing's like a butcher knife, and he could do such delicate work that non-chefs would need a specific knife to get the same results. He was also skilled at sewing and embroidering, though I shouldn't be surprise by either skill. Since he was an iryo-nin, he would need to know how to handle a blade against flesh and how to stitch it back up after he was done.

Let me tell you, learning from Tesuri was a thousand times harder than learning from Somoku. The things Somoku taught didn't require perfection, only concentration and determination. Even if I screwed up, it could be fixed. The things Tesuri taught, needed patience and a steady hand. Screwing up meant ruination.

"…It's not that bad," chuckled Tesuri as I scowled at my uneven slices of daikon.

"I could see through yours," I huffed, puffing my cheeks.

"You'll get it eventually," he rubbed the top of my head before lifting me from the high stool I was standing on. "Why don't you work on your embroidery?"

"… It's ugly," I said in a deadpan.

"How about you go ask your mom to do something with you?" chirped Tou-san as he placed me on the ground with a grin.

I blew out the air I used to puff up my cheeks. "Okay…" I relented and raced out of the kitchen and into the living room.

Kaa-san had her calligraphy set out, but she wasn't writing. Next to her, there was a neat pile of scrolls labeled and color-coded.

"What are you doing?" I asked as I pulled out a chair and crawled up on the seat. I hate being so small; it made everything so much harder.

Somoku smiled at me as she turned the scroll for me to see. At first I thought it was a drawing of something, but with a closer look, there were symbols around the edges of the paper in almost a circular design. Kaa-san knows how to make seals?

"What is it?" I asked. I know it's a seal, but she doesn't know that. And even if I knew it was a seal, I have no clue which one it was. They all looked like wiggly lines to me.

"It's a seal the makes healing easier," answered Somoku. "It's for the hospital."

"Does it do what Tou-san does?" I asked curiously.

She shook her head. "What your dad does is complicated and very hard for most people to use."

I tilted my head. "And this doesn't do that?"

"This, let's you see where someone is hurt," she answered.

"…How?" I frowned in confusion.

Somoku grinned as she tapped above my right eye lightly. I blinked when I felt chakra rushing to that eye. After a moment of distortion, I saw a faint green glow over Kaa-san's body.

"You look green," I pointed at her, but then noticed my fingers glowed specks of yellow. I paused and glanced at my hand with great interest.

"What do you see?"

"There are yellow dots, but everything else is green," I rubbed them together wondering if it's just dirty. I jumped when I felt a slight throb from all the pinpricks I made while embroidering. "Oh! I'm hurt! That's why it's a different color!"

"Very good!" she clapped encouragingly. "Do you want to learn how to make seals?"

"Yeah!" I nodded quickly. Making seals was probably the closest thing to modern technology and it wastes less chakra compared to jutsu. Anyone with a brain would learn that if given the chance.

Except… I have no talent whatsoever in making seals. Remember what I said about my calligraphy skills? Yeah, apparently, you need to be really and I mean really good at writing neatly. I can't even color in the lines to save my life much less write in a straight line. However, it doesn't mean I can't use seals made by other people. Most of Kaa-san's weaker seals, I could activate without much hassle. Found that one the hard way when I nearly blew up the living room with an explosive tag.

Good thing Kaa-san noticed in time and canceled it or else it'd be bye-bye Kasa in this lifetime. After that, Kaa-san placed me through seal tests with heavy supervision. Turns out, even though I can't make a seal to save my life, I have the inherent ability as an activator, as long as the seal was well made. Of course, that means nothing if I don't have the chakra capacity to activate them with or seals to use. So unless I find a seal master in the future as my partner, my natural talent was useless.

However, a month before my fourth birthday, the civil war ravaged the decrepit remains of Ame. Never before was I so glad that violence and gore didn't bother me in the least because that was the year Tou-san and Kaa-san decided we need to leave Ame. The separate factions tore the village apart. Either they declare loyalty to Hanzo or they join the rebellion, no neutral parties were allowed. Tesuri as an iryo-nin was invaluable for the dying shinobi and Somoku as the only sealing expert in the village was in high demand for her storage seals and explosive tags.

It was obvious that Hanzo was considerably stronger than the rebels, but at the same time his ruling was not in the best interest of Ame's citizens. If they joined one side, it was a death warrant from the other. Their skills would benefit whichever side they joined greatly and it was tactically not allowed. Fleeing was the only option.

However, since they sided with neither faction they became the enemy of both.

"Somoku, take Kasa and run!" shouted Tou-san as he and Kaa-san weaved through the forest.

"Don't be stupid! You're an iryo-nin! They'll destroy you!" argued Somoku.

I stayed quiet as they yelled at one another. What could I say anyway? We were being pursued; any distraction I make would mean the end of us. It was bad enough that I needed to be carried like a useless sack of potatoes. They don't need any other distractions.

"I'm not going to let you and Kasa die here like this!" snapped Tesuri as he shoved me into her arms. "You are taking Kasa and that's final!"

Her eyes grew tense as she stopped on a branch.

"What are you doing?" shouted Tesuri as he caught himself on the next branch over.

"I have a better chance of surviving than you. And if Kasa gets hurt, you are the better healer," she reasoned quietly as she placed me down on the branch.

"Somoku, please!" begged Tesuri, but his pleads was unheard as more Ame-nin approached.

"Kasa," she whispered, her lips pressed against my forehead as she held me tightly.

"…Kaa-san?" I whispered, a lump catching at my throat making it hard to say anything else.

"Be a good girl and take care of your dad and yourself okay?" she whispered. "I won't be around anymore."

"Kaa-san." I repeated, voice trembling as I shook my head at her words. "Don't say that!"

"You remember how to write your name right?" she whispered soothingly as she pulled back, brush a stray hair out of my face.

Puzzled with a furrowed brows, I nodded.

"Good. Live by it, as long as you remember, you'll never be alone," said Somoku as she brushed my hair back and kissed my forehead. "No matter what happens, I love you my little Kasa."

"I… love you too Kaa-san," I murmured.

"Somoku! They're here!" Tesuri shouted as he raced back towards us.

"Stay strong Kasa," said Kaa-san before her hands grew hot against my arms.

"Kaa-san what are you—" I never finished when a scream ripped out of my throat from the searing pain on my arms.

"Transcript Sealing: Memory Transfer!" She shouted, burning a black seal permanently onto my arms. "Tesuri! Take her now!"

I couldn't even cry when she shoved me into his arms.

"Somoku—"

"I love you," she pressed a kiss against his lips before planting a hand on each of us. "Uzumaki Hijutsu: Jikukan Kekkai!"

The world grew dark as the last image of my mother turned to face the oncoming Ame-nin.

Author's Note: Was anyone really surprised that mommy dearest was part of the Uzumaki clan? The series stated after Uzu was destroyed, the Uzumaki clan dispersed into the surrounding nations. Considering Karin's family ended up in Kusa and Nagato himself is in Ame, it's not hard to think maybe some of them made it to Ame.

And before I get a barrage of tomatoes, let me clarify that the memory transfer doesn't give Kasa Somoku's skills. Oh, she'll know what her mother can do, but doing it herself is a whole different story. Think of it as a manual… with very little directions. That and also, she can't make seals to save her life. The sealing art is not going to be a big part of her repertoire of skills. Oh, she'll used seals on her arms, but those are set skills from Somoku and Kasa would still have to learn how to use it.

Most jutsus I would try to use an English name. However, I'm guilty of thinking the Japanese one looks cooler in comparison. I'll place a translation at the bottom if I do end up using the Japanese name.

Lastly, the usage of Japanese phrases. To be honest, I'll avoid as much as I can, sans the honorifics like san, chan, kun, sama and dono just because those simply can't be translated. Aside from Kaa-san and Tou-san, used by Kasa, it won't be used by anyone else. To her, these were alternative names she uses out loud; she doesn't treat them as a title for a parent. When she finally does consider someone as such, I'll switch to using the proper English word for it.

Jutsu List

Uzumaki Hijutsu: Jikukan Kekkai- Uzumaki Secret Technique: Teleportation Barrier